Philadelphia Flyers players celebrate after Scott Hartnell, right, scored against the Carolina Hurricanes in the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Oct. 29, 2011, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/H. Rumph, Jr.)

The Flyers and bitter rival Pittsburgh Penguins are on the same team for once — and this isn’t a late Halloween hoax.

The two teams are joining forces to challenge a proposal supported by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman that would realign the divisions in the league beginning next season and as a result have the two team split up in different divisions.

Bettman’s plan, which would have to be supported by 20 of the 30 members of the league’s Board of Governors, would reduce the number of divisions in the league from six to four — creating an eight-team and seven-team division in each conference.

In the East, the Flyers would remain with the New York Rangers and New York Islanders as well as the New Jersey Devils, but would also add the Washington Capitals, Carolina Hurricanes, Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers to their division.

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The Penguins would be shifted into a division consisting of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators.

Each team would play every team in their division six times and every other team in the league twice, meaning Sidney Crosby and company would visit the Wells Fargo Center just once per season.

The story, which was first reported by the Canadian Broadcasting Company (CBC), was confirmed by sources both in the Flyers and Penguins organizations.

The Penguins have let it be known that they are not pleased with being moved out of the Atlantic Division — much like they were forced to do in 1994. They feel there are other alternatives that could be pursued that doesn’t cost them their rivalry with the Flyers.

As for the Flyers, they find themselves as strange bedfellows with their most hated rival.

“We are in 100 percent agreement with the Pittsburgh Penguins,” said Flyers President Peter Luukko, who is also on the NHL Board of Governors. “We are in close communication with them on this subject. This is a big rivalry that means a lot not only to us as a franchise, but to our fans, their fans, and the entire state of Pennsylvania.”

Penguins sources to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that it is their take that they don’t believe a “major” overhaul is needed when the league is enjoying unprecedented popularity in many markets, specifically Northeastern ones such as Boston and Buffalo along with Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

The Penguins sources added that the team agrees there is a need for geographical realignment, but nothing more drastic than switching a team from the West to the East to compensate Winnipeg.

One Flyers source indicated that there were other Eastern teams opposed to this alignment as well.

The remainder of this proposal would have the playoffs revert back to the way they were in the 1980s when the first two rounds of the playoffs would consist of inter-divisional rivalries followed by a conference final between the winners of each divisional portion of the playoffs before the Stanley Cup Finals.

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Late Monday the Flyers agreed to change their stance on the availability of goalie Ilya Bryzgalov to the media on non-game days.

After conversation with Kevin Allen, president of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association, the Flyers have agreed to let Bryzgalov take a limited number of questions with the media.

“(Flyers’ vice president of public relations) Zack (Hill) tells me that they have changed their stance, and Bryzgalov will speak on off days as well,” Allen said in a statement. “He is just not speaking on the morning of game days. I think not speaking on the morning of a game has become enough of a tradition that is acceptable.”

The Flyers will not be fined for their original stance that would have denied media access to Bryzgalov.